YVR - Balvenie 50 Year Old Release @ BCL - 01.13.16

In January, we got to partake in a unique experience with The Balvenie and their incredibly rare bottle of 50 year old whisky.. The event was held at the 39th & Cambie liquor store in Vancouver and included a sit-down educational tasting of six Balvenie whiskies paired with high-end restaurant bites.

“In the case of The Balvenie ‘Fifty’, Malt Master David Stewart has created a unique combination of natural alchemy and centuries old craftsmanship, and we are delighted to know that this expression will find a loving home here in Canada,” Elizabeth Havers, The Balvenie® Brand Ambassador in Canada, said in a media release.

‘Fifty’ is “characterized by its reddish hues, dark fruits and spice with a deep and lingering fruity sweetness on the tongue.” Tasting notes include “sweet raisins and a subtle ginger spiciness.”

The bottle is hand-blown glass, which is hand-filled with the ‘Fifty.’ And that ‘Fifty,’ by the way, has only ever lived in one other place since May 28, 1963: European oak cask number 4567. One of two casks retrieved in 2014 by the distillery, number 4567 is considered the darker, richer, spicier of the pair. Both the bottle and case are refined works of art - Each case consists of forty-nine wooden rings and a closing layer in brass (which echoes the fittings of the distillery's stills and spirit safes).

As of today - The 50 year-old single malt is regarded as one of the most prestigious luxury spirits in the world, and The Fairmont Pacific Rim has the only bottle made available in Canada. A perfect one ounce pour, offered at $2,600 CAD will be available exclusively in the hotel's Lobby Lounge beginning Feb. 12.

Guests will be able to sip on an exceptional Scotch whiskey in their own handcrafted and specially numbered “collector's edition’’ Baccarat crystal glass. The wee dram will allow those to experience a unique taste of history - literally.